


When It Pours

by Silkette



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Ferdie and Lorenz are BFFs, Ferdie is sad, Fluff and Angst, Hubert in denial, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Prompt Fill, Sick Fic, The Beagles are Ultimate Ferdibert Shippers, especially Edelgard, old timey romance tropes, rain is fucking deadly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silkette/pseuds/Silkette
Summary: When Hubert chooses Ferdinand over Edelgard during battle, it leads to a crisis of faith for him, and dangerously times for Ferdinand.Written for the FE3H kink meme.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 99
Collections: FE3H Kink Meme





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for [this](https://3houseskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/2082.html?thread=3478562#cmt3478562) kink meme prompt! 
> 
> I just couldn’t resist the thought of trashy romance tropes plus Ferdibert 😂

Hubert was silent during the trip back to Garreg Mach.

That in itself was not unusual. Hubert was rarely one for idle chit chat, preferring instead to observe and speak when necessary. Yet this was different from his normal brooding. He sat in the corner of the wagon, pale eyes fixed on the wooden floor. His teeth were clenched and his fists gripped the top of his knees so tightly that the skin was stretched taut over every bone. All the other Eagles were sensibly giving him a wide berth, Edelgard having most likely ordered them to let him have his space. Which suited Hubert perfectly. He did not wish to face anyone ever again, his lady most of all.

Not after today.

Not after he’d failed her so badly.

What he’d done was worse even than when they were both children and he couldn’t prevent her from being taken by Arundel. At least back then he had tried, fought with everything he had and pushed past his limits. To know he’d done everything he could even if it wasn’t enough. It was cold comfort but comfort all the same.

Today was different.

Today, he’d had the opportunity to save his lady and he hadn’t taken it.

He’d turned away and abandoned her to go save someone else.

If things had turned out differently, he could have been planning her funeral right now instead of sitting in a wagon stewing in a bottomless pit of guilt.

Hubert put his head in his hands and gripped hard enough to bruise.

_How could he have let it happen?_

Looking back, everything had begun so normally. It was the day of their monthly mission and the Black Eagles’ convoy left the monastery early in the morning for the Faerghus border. Their Professor Byleth (the female one) had briefed them on the way while they ate the simple breakfast the kitchen staff had packed for them. The mission was to rout a group of bandits who had been stirring up trouble with demonic beasts. Apparently their modus operandi was to provoke the monsters into attacking local villages, then they looted mercilessly in the aftermath. No matter if the monster or the people died, they’d get a payday either way. Absolute scum. Hubert had been looking forward to eviscerating a few of them with his spells.

Soon Byleth wrapped up her brief and left to speak with the driver, leaving her students to chat amongst themselves. Hubert was about to get up and go and sit beside his lady to discuss tactics when he’d felt something nudge his arm.

He turned and saw it was a steaming mug of tea held out by one Ferdinand von Aegir, who had sat next to him before they set off.

“Here, Hubert! To warm you up,” Ferdinand smiled, cheerful as ever despite the early hour. “Even with your distaste for tea, I believe you will like this blend. I chose it especially for you. Lorenz tells me it is popular with coffee drinkers.”

Hubert accepted the mug with a nod and sipped. It wasn’t half bad, strong and refreshing with a pleasant aftertaste. Coffee was still better, but it would suffice.

“It is very bitter, isn’t it?” Ferdinand commented as Hubert drank another mouthful. “Too much for me, but I hope you like it…?”

“It is acceptable. Thank you, Ferdinand.”

Hubert tried to ignore the way Ferdinand’s face lit up brighter still, if that was even possible. He also tried to ignore the soft pink on his cheeks. Or how warm his own face felt, along with the disconcerting flutter in his chest. He took the easy way out and blamed it on pre-battle nerves.

“You are welcome, my friend!”

Then Ferdinand left to join in a conversation Caspar and Petra were having on the merits of lances versus swords versus axes, leaving Hubert alone with his tea and his thoughts.

_Friend._

It was still so strange to hear Ferdinand call him that. So much had changed in the relatively short amount of time they’d been at Garreg Mach. Ever since Byleth had started assigning them chores and inviting them to lunch together for her own mysterious reasons. She had refused to explain why when asked, merely shrugging and saying she just thought it was a good idea. Even after watching her for months, Hubert still had very little idea what went on in their teacher’s head.

At first, everything was normal and they’d kept on fighting like cat and dog. Hubert putting down all of Ferdinand’s accomplishments and Ferdinand readily firing back by calling out all of Hubert’s failings as a vassal.

Unfortunately this tended to make for very slow work and soon their chores were dragging on twice as long as they should have. Several hours weeding, mucking out stables, or worst of all, on sky patrol, were all tiresome enough. Spending most of his day doing chores was unacceptable. Spending most of his day doing chores with the most annoying person on the planet was pure torture.

Ferdinand must have felt the same as it was him who broke down first and approached Hubert with an olive branch.

He did so during one of their endless weeding sessions. They’d already been at it for hours when Ferdinand, down to his shirt with his gloves and cravat tucked into his belt, suddenly straightened up and pointed at Hubert, bright eyes flashing with grim determination. Apparently this was something he’d been steeling himself to do for a while.

“Look, Hubert,” he’d exclaimed. “We must face facts. I do not like you and you do not like me-“

“Stunning insight as always, von Aegir,” Hubert muttered, tearing up a dandelion and hurling it onto the pile with more force than necessary. “Perhaps you’d also like to comment on the sky being blue or water being wet?”

“So,” Ferdinand went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “In light of the fact our Professor keeps forcing us to work together, I propose a truce. All this fighting really does simply prolong our pain. If we just agree to be...civil with one another, the work will go faster and we can leave quicker as I am sure we both wish. What do you say?”

Hubert looked up at him. Ferdinand was standing with a hand outstretched and a cautiously hopeful smile on his face. Hubert briefly considered directing a stinging spell at him, but thought better of it.

Loathe as he was to admit it, Ferdinand had a point. They could continue to bicker, but in the end the only ones it would hurt was themselves. A truce with von Aegir sounded abysmal, but Hubert was beginning to realize it was preferable to the alternative.

Anything to get this over faster so they could spend as little time together as possible.

“Very well,” Hubert said stiffly as he straightened up. “I accept your terms, for now.”

“Splendid! Shall we shake on it?”

Hubert stared down at Ferdinand’s hand as if it were something scraped from the bottom of his shoe. But von Aegir was not backing down and Hubert probably owed him this much since he had made the first move.

Hubert rolled his eyes, but still reached out and accepted Ferdinand’s hand.

Ferdinand beamed up at him as they shook and gave Hubert’s hand the smallest squeeze before letting go.

“Right! Now that is settled, let’s get to it!”

“Hn, indeed.”

Thankfully, Ferdinand was true to his word. Expecting him to stay silent was too much to hope for, the last time Ferdinand was silent was probably in the womb, but he did make a conscious effort not to say anything he knew would needle Hubert. Mostly by ceasing to comment on his superiority compared to Edelgard. In return, Hubert kept his more barbed criticisms behind his teeth and allowed Ferdinand’s more harmless boasting to wash over him. It wasn’t always easy and there were one or two slips, but they were both determined and so managed with some effort.

It didn’t take long for their new arrangement to bear fruit. Their shared work saw a marked improvement in both speed and quality. Something Byleth was eager (for her anyway) to praise them for over lunch.

“I’m proud of you two,” she said in her usual calm voice that was close to having no inflection. “I was beginning to think you’d never stop bickering, but you proved me wrong. You’re working together so much better now.”

Ferdinand blushed happily over his lunch and even Hubert couldn’t help looking a little pleased. Their Professor never gave praise unless she really meant it. Not like her soft hearted, soft headed twin brother who coddled the Blue Lions shamelessly. 

“Thank you, Professor!”

“Mm. What he said.”

“Good,” Byleth said. “Keep it up.”

“We will, Professor!”

Then Ferdinand had turned and smiled at him. Hubert just rolled his eyes and ate another mouthful of stew. Whatever.

Everything had gone much more smoothly after that, even outside of chore time. Perhaps too smoothly since at some point, Ferdinand got it into his sunny, orange head that mutual tolerance wasn’t good enough and they should actually try to be friends instead. He started treating Hubert as such, chatting to him cheerfully while they worked. Hubert was surprised that Ferdinand was actually a reasonable conversation partner. He was infinitely more tolerable when not boasting or making unfounded criticisms of Lady Edelgard.

To keep their newfound peace, Hubert indulged him and talked back. Since Ferdinand, shock of all shocks, actually did have interesting things to say, it wasn’t much of a sacrifice.

Until one day after stable duty when Ferdinand had taken the next step and invited him to tea.

“Though I can prepare coffee for you, if you prefer?” He’d offered.

Hubert, paused considering.

Should he?

He was rather peckish after all that work, not to mention thirsty. A good cup of coffee would really hit the spot, and he couldn’t see what harm it would do.

“Very well. Though I will make the coffee since I doubt you have any idea how to brew a decent cup.”

A comment like that would have once had Ferdinand bristling and squaring up for one of their verbal sparring matches.

Instead he’d just snorted and flipped his bangs out of his face.

“Would you like to test that theory, my dear Vestra? I would wager I can brew a cup so fine even that awful mud you call a drink becomes palatable.”

Hubert smirked as he fell into step besides Ferdinand.

“Tell me, von Aegir, is it pleasant to dream while wide awake?”

They had both enjoyed their tea time together. Hubert was surprised both by how pleasant he found the whole experience. The time flew by and he was actually a little disappointed when they had to pack up and leave for class. When Ferdinand repeated the invitation a week later, he didn't hesitate to accept again.

Their relationship had just snowballed from there. From enemies, to grudging allies, to friends.

Hubert had remained a little unsure about this turn of events (someone like him wasn’t really supposed to have _friends_ ) but since it had all seemed harmless, he had allowed it to go on and let them get closer still.

Until today. When he, a son of Vestra, had passed over his Emperor in her time of need and come to the aid of the Prime Minister’s son instead.

The battle had dragged on a while but they’d finally been inching towards victory. The bandits were putting up a decent fight, though the Eagles were slowly pushing them back. Nothing unusual. Just an ordinary mission on an ordinary day.

Hubert hit a towering woman in the back with _Mire_ before she could hurl a tomahawk at Linhardt, then automatically turned to check on how Edelgard was fairing. They’d been separated more than he would have liked, but a battalion of Pegasus Knights had forced him to flee lest he be taken out of the fight altogether. Now the fliers had been dispatched by Bernadetta’s bow, he was free to return to his lady’s side.

When he finally found her, two hundred yards or so away at the far side of the field, what he saw made his blood run cold.

Edelgard was surrounded and locked in fierce combat with four of the remaining bandits. She was holding her own, but for how long Hubert didn’t know. Even for a warrior as powerful as Edelgard, four on one were terrible odds.

Well then, allow him to even them.

Hubert charged forward, hands crackling with dark power ready to be unleashed at his lady’s foes, when a sudden crash and yelp from the opposite direction made him pause. He knew that voice, had become very familiar with it as of late.

He should have ignored it and carried on.

He should have kept rushing forward and helped his lady.

He should not have looked and then felt his heart stop at what he saw.

Ferdinand had fallen from his horse and was on the ground, desperately trying to shield himself from the axe blows of the hulking bandit bearing down in him. From the way his left arm hung, Hubert could tell it was broken, most likely from the fall. He watched, transfixed, as Ferdinand blocked an axe attack with his lance which somehow didn’t snap.

He was in real trouble, the kind a soldier didn’t walk away from. Trying to scramble to safety one handed while simultaneously keeping his lance up to stop himself being bisected, Ferdinand wouldn’t last long. If that bandit brought his axe down on him in that position, Hubert doubted even Linhardt would be able to help. Ferdinand would probably be killed in seconds, chest caved in and heart cleaved in two. White magic could heal but not bring people back from the dead.

Hubert watched this all play out, frozen and rooted to the spot. His heart banged painfully in his chest and blood pounded in his ears. He could hear the clash or weapons on armor as his lady fought on. He saw Ferdinand struggle hopelessly as the bandit wore him down.

They both needed his help, but he knew he could only reach one of them in time.

He heard a loud crash and a cry of pain that may have been Edelgard.

At the same time, he saw Ferdinand’s lance finally splinter and his amber eyes go wide with fear as the bandit raised his axe, ready to bring it down on him with all his strength.

Hubert stopped thinking and simply acted instead.

Ferdinand gasped, jaw dropping in shock and horror as the bandit’s head suddenly exploded in a shower of gore. He managed to roll to the side as the newly made corpse teetered and pitched forward, just avoiding being crushed. He lay in the grass, panting and blinking at his dead foe in wonder, then looked around for his rescuer.

Even injured and fresh off a near successful attempt on his life, Ferdinand’s face still lit up like the sunrise when he saw Hubert.

“Hubert! Thank you so much! You saved-“

Hubert didn’t hear any more, too busy sprinting back towards his lady. He needn’t have worried. His heart near burst with relief when he saw the last bandit fall, her axe buried in his throat. She jerked it free and stood there breathing heavily, surrounded by four bodies. Tired, but seemingly none the worse for wear.

No thanks to Hubert.

“Lady Edelgard!” He panted, skidding to a stop in front of her. “Are you alright?!”

She nodded and smiled wanly.

“I am fine, Hubert. No need for concern.”

“My Lady!” He gasped and fell to his knees before her in supplication. “The Flames take me, I can’t-“

He broke off, putting his hands to his head and gripping tight enough to rip hair out at the roots.

He barely heard her next words or felt her gauntlet on his shoulder. She was saying something to comfort him, assuring Hubert that she was perfectly capable of defending herself and that there was no harm done. She was so utterly wrong. He’d done his lady more harm than anyone could possibly understand, her included. She could have been killed the moment he turned his back on her.

All because something in him had screamed loud enough to drown out everything else when he’d seen Ferdinand von Aegir in danger. His duty, which up till now Hubert had thought utterly unassailable, swept aside like it was nothing by his all encompassing need to save him.

A need that could have very easily just cost him his reason for living.

“ _Hubert!_ ”

He couldn’t ignore Edelgard when she said his name like that. Hubert slowly raised his head and met her lavender gaze. Her brow was wrinkled and her lips drawn down with concern. Hubert felt sick to his stomach. On top of everything else, now he was making her worry about him as well?

“My apologies, my Lady.”

Hubert forced his sinister mask back in place and drew himself back to his feet with sheer force of will. No matter what, he’d die before he became a burden to her.

“And allow me to apologize once more for failing in my duty.”

“Hubert, you didn’t-“

He swept into a low bow before she could finish.

“I did, my Lady. All I can say is it was unforgivable, and will not happen again. I swear it to you on everything I am, I will never fail you again.

Edelgard sighed and put a hand to her temple, seemingly too fatigued to argue.

“Very well, Hubert. We will say no more for now.”

Then she set off to find Byleth and check on the rest of their classmates since the battle was over. Hubert followed her as ever, silent as a shadow.

***

Aside from Ferdinand’s broken arm and a deep gash on Bernadetta’s thigh, the Black Eagles had thankfully all escaped the skirmish with only minor cuts and bruises. Linhardt healed Bernadetta with a dose of elixir and white magic and then left to check on his other patient. Ferdinand was resting in the spare wagon they used to transport the injured, plus any extra spoils won from battle.

Hubert was more grateful for this than he could ever remember being. He couldn’t face Ferdinand again, for how long he wasn’t sure. He just wanted to put Ferdinand von Aegir out of his mind and forget the terrifying emotions he’d felt when he saw the bandit bearing down on him.

Hubert stared at the floor and ignored the other Eagles as they chatted cheerfully about the battle, just letting their conversations wash over him.

Finally, Linhardt climbed back into their wagon and flopped down beside Caspar, who put his arm around him.

“How’s Ferdie?” Hubert heard Caspar ask his boyfriend.

“Fine,” Linhardt yawned. “I set his arm-“ he shuddered a little. “-and used _Heal_. He’s resting now. I’ll treat him again when we get back and he’ll be good as new.”

“Awesome! You’re the best, Lin!”

“Mm, I know.”

Hubert tuned them out after that.

The driver snapped his whip and the convoy pulled out for home.

***

It was early evening by the time they arrived back at the monastery through the market gate. 

The plaza was quiet with most of the vendors clearing their unsold wares and shutting up shop for the day. Perhaps a little earlier than normal, but one only had to look up to understand why. Even though the sun hadn’t set yet, the sky was already black and the air heavy with the smell of rain. There was a storm coming and no one came out to shop in those conditions. So the merchants were cutting their losses and hurrying home to try and beat the rain.

Hubert sat silent and rigid until the wagon pulled to a stop, then quickly stood and approached Edelgard. She paused mid-conversation with Dorothea, and looked up at him. He could see the slight wrinkle between her white brows was back. She was still concerned. Damn him.

“My Lady, if you have no further need of me, I would like to retire for the night.” Hubert said. “I have a project I’d like to work on.”

Edelgard frowned. Beside her, Dorothea raised an eyebrow.

“Hubert-“

“Yes, my Lady?”

She opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it with a sigh and a shake of her head. 

“Very well, Hubert. Though, tomorrow, I would like to speak with you about the battle. Privately.”

_Fuck._

“Of course, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert said, voice carefully neutral. “I look forward to it.”

“I’m sure...see you then.”

“Thank you.”

“Wait, Hubie!” Dorothea called before he could hurry away. “Aren’t you going to wait for Ferdie? He’ll probably want to thank you again-“

“No,” Hubert interrupted, keeping his back to the two women so they wouldn’t see his clenched teeth. “I don’t have time.”

He swiftly exited the wagon, leaving the rest of the Eagles to follow at their own pace.

Hubert crossed the plaza and headed up the stairs to the entrance hall, ignoring the Gatekeeper’s usual cheerful greeting when he passed him.

The thought of speaking to his lady about what had happened twisted his guts like one of his own poisons. No matter what, he couldn’t tell her what had distracted him. She couldn’t know her vassal was compromised, she had far too much on her plate already. At least leaving it till tomorrow would give him time to regain his composure.

The sky rumbled overhead as Hubert left the entrance hall and cut through the gardens to get back to the dormitories quicker. From the way people literally parted in fear of him, he must have looked as ominous as the heavens. _Good._ He hoped everyone was smart enough to take the hint and stay away tonight.

He just needed to get back to his room. Then he could turn over everything that had happened coolly and logically and find an answer. There must be a way to purge himself of this...problem. This...whatever it was that von Aegir had infected him with. Otherwise Hubert could never be totally sure of himself, never fully confident in his abilities, again.

Suddenly he recalled what his father had said to him when Hubert was just beginning his training:

_”A Vestra gives his soul to his Emperor, boy. His heart, his mind, every part of him, even down to his very life. If he can’t do that, then better to push a dagger through his throat there and then. Loyalty divided is worse than worthless. Remember that, Hubert. Remember it is not yourself you live for anymore.”_

The words thudded in his head like stones. _Remember, remember._

He’d forgotten everything but Ferdinand in the moment it mattered most.

Hubert was so close to making it to sanctuary. About to unlock the door to this room, when someone called his name and made him start horribly, nearly dropping his key. The someone Hubert wanted to face least of anyone on Earth.

“Hubert!”

No. No, fuck _no._ Goddess, _please._

“Hubert, _wait!_ ”

There wasn’t time to get the door open before Ferdinand was on him. Hubert turned to face the younger man and saw he was beaming, cheeks pink and pupils dilated. Linhardt had done well, Ferdinand bloomed full of life as ever.

Beautiful.

There was no point lying to himself, Hubert found Ferdinand beautiful.

It was that beauty that he’d chosen over Edelgard.

Oblivious to Hubert’s inner turmoil, Ferdinand launched into a breathless speech.

“Why did you leave so quickly? I had to run to catch up with you after Linhardt finished with my arm! Oh, never mind. What am I saying? It does not matter. Hubert-“ he stopped to take a breath, eyes shining with something that made Hubert’s heart leap and his stomach twist with nausea. “You saved my life today! Thank you! Thank you so much! I shall find a way to repay you, I swear it on my House!”

Hubert only stared at him in silence. Ferdinand’s joyful expression flickered for a split second, a little wrong-footed by Hubert’s lack of response. Then he shook it off and was back to his giddy speech.

“You know, you quite surprised me. Your reflexes are wonderfully quick for a magic class! You reached Edelgard so swiftly after saving me-“ Hubert’s heart clenched painfully in his chest. “-maybe you should talk to the Professor about reconsidering your goals? Perhaps become a Dark Knight instead of a Dark Bishop, since you obviously have physical skill as well as…Hubert? Are you alright?”

The adoring smile melted away to soft concern and Ferdinand reached out to him.

“Were you injured? Shall I help you to Professor Manuela-“

Hubert roughly slapped the hand away before it could make contact and snarled, teeth bared.

“ _Don’t touch me!_ ”

Ferdinand stumbled back, thunderstruck. He mouthed silently for a moment before managing to speak again.

“I - forgive me, I just-“

“Shut up!” Hubert shouted, hands clenching into fists as he advanced on Ferdinand, who took another faltering step back.

“Just shut up, you empty headed fool! Haven’t you caused enough misery today that now I have to listen to more of your inane prattling?!”

Ferdinand gaped at him, amber eyes huge with shock and dismay.

“Hubert, I-“

“ _Do you imagine,_ ” Hubert hissed through his teeth, shaking with rage. “That I - that _any_ of us - enjoy having to save your worthless hide again and again? That we have nothing better to do than make sure the _great_ and _noble_ Ferdinand von Aegir doesn’t get himself killed from his own ineptitude?”

“But-“

“ _Shut up!_ ” Hubert howled. Ferdinand flinched, back hitting the wall.

“Noblest of nobles, more like weakest of weaklings! To think a fool like you could ever believe himself equal to Lady Edelgard! It’s laughable! Truly one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard from one of the world’s stupidest _people!_ ”

Hubert advanced and ruthlessly jabbed a finger into Ferdinand’s chest, making him wince.

“Stay away from her, Ferdinand! Stay away from all the Black Eagles! None of us want to be dragged down to your miserable level! You are _nothing_ compared to Lady Edelgard and you are less than nothing to me! I loathe you and I wish I’d let that bandit smash your empty skull if only for some peace! _Understand?!_ Is that clear enough for you, you vacuous imbecile?! I hate you! You are nothing and _I HATE YOU!_ ” He near screamed in Ferdinand’s face, cheeks blotchy and chest heaving with emotion.

An awful silence fell, broken only by the sound of Hubert’s heavy breathing and Ferdinand’s struggles to stop his own breath from hitching.

Hubert turned away from the glitter of tears in Ferdinand’s eyes and spoke one last time, voice colder than a Sreng winter.

“Get out of my sight, von Aegir.”

Silence returned for a brief moment. Then Hubert heard a muffled sob and the sound of boots hitting stone as Ferdinand fled.

He’d done it. He’d twisted the knife, cut out the poison and saved himself. Ferdinand would never come near him again now. They could go back to hating each other the way they used to. He never should have let the little fool get close to him to begin with.

Hubert had set things right.

And if his heart felt like it was being slowly ripped in two, that was just what he’d have to endure.

Hubert went into his room and locked the door behind him. He needed to be alone.

_For Lady Edelgard._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Hubert and Ferdinand both deal with the events of the previous chapter.

Ferdinand stumbled down the stairs, completely numb.

He had no idea where he was going. Just that he needed to get away, as far away as he could until he could think again. Until everything stopped hurting.

_”I hate you!”_

He drew in a shuddering breath, eyes stinging as hot tears spilled over and ran down his burning cheeks.

_Why?_ What had he done to make Hubert lash out at him like that? They’d been getting along so well lately, hadn’t they? Ferdinand had been sure they’d put their differences behind them and become friends, so sure that he never imagined such an awful regression of their relationship. What could possibly have gone wrong to make Hubert hate him so badly again?

Ferdinand didn’t know, nor did he understand. Not why Hubert had done it, or why he now felt worse than he ever had in his life. He had always thought heartbreak was just an expression, but now his chest was tight with actual, physical pain. If someone told him his heart was slowly tearing in two, he’d believe them.

_Why?_ The question went round and round, spinning dizzyingly through his mind. Why had it happened? He wanted to hate Hubert for saying such terrible things to him, wanted to march back to his classmate’s room and give him the tongue lashing of a lifetime. Make Hubert hurt the way he’d hurt Ferdinand and then some!

He wanted Hubert to cry, weep, wail and go down on his knees and beg for his forgiveness! He wanted him to say sorry till he was blue in the face, to repent and take it all back. He wanted Hubert to say he’d always be his friend, to claim it had all been a temporary fit of madness, and embrace Ferdinand and hold him tight.

He wanted...Goddess help him, he really did want Hubert.

Why did this have to happen? It was too cruel, far too cruel.

Ferdinand shuddered as a fresh wave of tears overflowed and ran down his cheeks.

He hated Hubert.

He hated himself far more for wanting to forgive him.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Ferdinand shied away from two approaching students by turning his back and pretending to adjust his boot. Once they’d passed, he scrubbed his face and tried to swallow down the choking lump in his throat. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. Sneers and “I told you so”s would be bad, but pity would be worse. He was Ferdinand von Aegir and Ferdinand von Aegir did not cry! He was far too strong, a noble leader who-

He buried his face against his sleeve and swallowed a sob, eyes still burning and watering like he’d got a face full of smoke from a campfire. He was desperate to be alone, to hide away somewhere until his tears had run dry. He couldn’t stop crying no matter how much he tried to force himself.

No one must see him like this! He couldn’t bear it.

Yet, where could he go? There was nowhere in Garreg Mach that was truly private save for personal quarters, but...

_”I hate you!”_

Ferdinand’s vision blurred and he gritted his teeth to choke back another sob. He couldn’t go back to his room. Not with...not with who was only one room away. Which meant there was nothing else for it: there was no solitude to be found in Garreg Mach, so he’d just have to get out of the monastery altogether. It was the only was he could be alone until he got his emotions under control.

Perhaps he would go for a ride. Usually when he was upset or frustrated, a long gallop with his horse helped take his mind off his troubles. Put him in a better place to face them when he returned. Ferdinand wanted to forget, wanted it very badly, and riding a challenging hack might help him do it.

Mind made up, he changed direction and headed for the stables.

It was almost curfew, the evening bells tolling as dusk approached, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Normally Ferdinand tried to be the model of good behavior as every true noble should, but not today. Let Seteth scold him and assign a list of punishments as long as his arm, it didn’t matter. It was not like he could feel worse than he did already.

Ferdinand kept his head bowed, praying he wouldn’t run into anyone who wanted to talk or would be curious about his red eyes and tear streaked face. Thankfully, luck seemed to be with him and he reached his destination unchallenged.

He unlatched the stable door with shaking hands and headed over to the middle stall and its occupant: a large, honey bay stallion named Buttercup. An Aegir thoroughbred, Buttercup was sweet and even-tempered during daily life, and vicious, fearless destrier in battle. Ferdinand had raised him himself from a foal and Buttercup had become his favorite horse out of all the others in his father’s stables. He’d been the only choice to accompany his master to Garreg Mach when the time came.

“Hello again, boy,” Ferdinand murmured huskily as Buttercup raised his head and wickered happily at his approach. “Sh-sh-“

He shut his eyes and swallowed hard as his voice caught, forcing himself back under control with effort. Buttercup seemed to sense something was wrong, nosing his master and then butting him gently with another wicker. Ferdinand sniffed hard and tried to pull himself together.

“Sorry, boy. I’m j-just being silly,” he said, gently stroking the stallion’s velvety nose. “Shall we go for a ride? Would you like that…?”

Ferdinand gave a watery smile as Buttercup snuffled and lipped at his hair.

“Good. Thank you, boy…”

He barely noticed what he was doing as he prepared Buttercup for their ride, hands moving automatically from years of experience. Saddle fixed, bridle buckled, shoes checked for loose nails, soon everything was done and they were ready. Ferdinand took hold of Buttercup’s reins and led him out into the yard, the stallion’s hooves clopping noisily on the cobblestones.

They stopped at the mounting block and Ferdinand was just about to swing himself up into the saddle, when-

“You’re not going out now, are you?” Came a familiar voice. “There’s gonna be a storm.”

Ferdinand gave his eyes a frantic scrub to remove any lingering tears, and looked at the speaker. It was Cyril, stood at the entrance to the yard with an empty wheelbarrow.

Obviously the lad hadn’t finished his chores for the day. Normally Ferdinand would have immediately offered his help, and then aided Cyril whether he accepted the offer or not, but not today. He’d make it up to Cyril somehow, but for now Ferdinand was just too desperate to be alone. To ride out, faster and faster until both he and Buttercup were completely exhausted, and forget this awful day ever happened.

“Ah, yes,” Ferdinand said, trying to sound as normal as he could while turning back to his horse. “Do not worry, Cyril. We will return soon.”

He didn’t dare say any more, terrified his voice would crack.

Cyril put down the barrow and approached Ferdinand as he mounted Buttercup. He frowned and absentmindedly patted the stallion’s honey colored flank. Buttercup lipped his dark hair happily; he really was a sweet horse.

“Are you sure? It looks like it could start any minute. Seteth said he thought it was going to be a real bad storm. Me and the others have been checking all round the monastery to make sure everything’s secure.”

“Good, excellent, I am sure you did a fine job,” Ferdinand said vaguely, not looking at Cyril but instead staring straight ahead, eyes unfocused. “You always do. Anyway, if you’ll excuse me…”

Cyril’s frown deepened with confusion and concern.

“Ferdinand, are you okay? You’re acting kinda funny…”

“Hm? Oh, yes,” Ferdinand blinked and seemed to give himself a mental shake. 

“Not to worry. I am perfectly fine,” He said through a plastered on a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Ya sure? You don’t sound-“

“Absolutely, absolutely fine. No problems at all,” Ferdinand interrupted. “Now then, we must be off. Good evening to you, Cyril.”

“Wait-“ Cyril began, but too late, Ferdinand had already nudged Buttercup into a trot that soon became a canter as they disappeared through the arch that led to the Horse Gate.

Cyril stayed where he was, racked with uncertainty and concern. It was nearly passed curfew. If he went and told someone, one of the knights would probably ride out and bring Ferdinand back, but that would mean getting Ferdinand in trouble…

He dithered back and forth for a few minutes, shifting from foot to foot, then sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. 

Ferdinand was nice, if a little loud and overzealous in his offers of help sometimes. Cyril still liked him and had no wish to add to his misery by tattling on him. Ferdinand was upset about something, Cyril was certain. No matter if he tried to deny it or not, Cyril just hoped whatever it was would get better soon. He actually looked like he’d been crying. Cyril had seen Ferdinand angry before, but never sad enough to shed tears. It was very worrying.

No, he couldn’t tell on him. He’d just let Ferdinand do whatever it was he needed to, and forget he ever saw him.

Besides, Cyril consoled himself as he retrieved his wheelbarrow and pushed it into the stables and towards the hayloft. Ferdinand was one of the best riders at Garreg Mach, so he was probably worrying over nothing. Hopefully the ride would cheer him up and Ferdinand would be back to normal when he and Buttercup returned.

Cyril hummed loudly to try and distract himself from the nagging worry in his belly, and climbed up to get the hay for the horses’ supper.

Outside, the first drops of rain began to patter against the cobbles.

***

Hubert barely got a wink of sleep that night.

He tried, actually tried hard for once, going to bed early and attempting to empty his mind and focus on oblivion. Sleep would provide an escape from reality that he craved desperately at present. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally, but it mattered not as sleep evaded him anyway. He stared up at the ceiling in the dark and listened to the gale blowing outside and the rain hammering on his window. 

Whenever he shut his eyes, all he saw was Ferdinand’s broken expression, his amber eyes filled up with shock and betrayal, about to be drowned in tears.

Eventually Hubert gave in and got up, going to his desk to work. Though even then he still couldn’t get his mind off Ferdinand.

If Caspar hadn’t been between them, would Hubert have heard him crying himself to sleep?

Hubert gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, snapping his quill. He bowed his head as the two halves fluttered to the floor, those sad eyes still haunting him without mercy.

_For Lady Edelgard. I did it for her. She’s all that matters._

The rain continued to fall, only getting heavier as the night wore on..

It was a relief when the morning bells tolled and the monastery began to come to life. Hubert left his room the moment they chimed and escaped to the Knights’ Hall to get in some practice before class. Not his preferred arena, but rain was still pouring down meaning Training Yard was out.

He paused for a moment at the entrance to the hall to check for a telltale flash of orange, but thankfully Ferdinand wasn’t there practicing his lance. Only Felix honing his swordplay on a training dummy.

Hubert breathed a sigh of relief and was immediately irritated with himself.

So what if Fer - if von Aegir was there? It’s not like they could avoid each other forever. They were in the same class, for Flames’ sake! No, he would have to face him sooner or later. Better sooner so they could get it all over with and everything could return to normal.

Let Ferdinand rage at him, snarl and accuse and call Hubert every name his self-imposed code of nobility would allow. Then Hubert could sneer and put him down with a cutting remark and Ferdinand would retaliate, back and forth, till they both ran out of steam. Then everything would be fine.

He was sure of it.

Hubert pushed all thoughts of Ferdinand down and called up his magic, ready for battle. Felix was always eager to test himself against different opponents and Hubert could use a distraction until class began. Then, he’d have to face von Aegir and the tension between them would be broken.

***

“You missed breakfast, Hubert,” Edelgard said as he took his customary seat beside her in the Black Eagles’ classroom. “I’ve told you before you shouldn’t skip meals. Not even you can live on coffee.”

“Apologies, my Lady,” Hubert replied. “I became caught up with training. It won’t happen again.”

“Hmph, how many times have I heard that before?”

Hubert couldn’t think of a decent rebuttal, so he said nothing. His visible eye flickered over to Ferdinand’s empty seat. Class was about to start and it was unusual for him to cut it this fine. He was normally one of the first there.

Unfortunately, Edelgard had seen him look.

“Ah yes, that reminds me, Hubert. We still need to discuss what happened yesterday,” she said in a low tone that nonetheless booked no arguments. “Come to my room after afternoon classes, we’ll talk then.”

“As you wish,” Hubert replied, secretly gripping the back of his chair so tightly he could have left indents in the wood.

“Good,” she looked at Ferdinand’s empty seat and tutted as Professor Byleth walked in. “Perhaps he’s still feeling his injury. Either way, he should have told someone if he was going to be absent.”

Again, Hubert didn’t reply.

Thankfully their conversation had to end there as Byleth began her lesson. It was on tactics, a subject Hubert had a keen interest in, but today his mind wandered. Much as he tried to focus, he couldn’t help his attention turning to that empty seat. When Byleth asked if anyone knew where Ferdinand was, none of the Eagles had replied in the affirmative. Hubert kept expecting him to burst in, out of breath, and loudly disrupt the lesson with some involved story about oversleeping or misplacing his favorite cravat or some such, but he didn’t. The entire morning passed and Ferdinand’s chair remained empty.

The rain was still pouring down when the midday bells tolled and class ended, students and other monastery dwellers crowding the covered areas and sprinting to their destinations when forced into the open air. The wind howled and rattled the windows, the ancient buildings groaning as they were battered and buffeted. It seemed Seteth was right and the storm was fast becoming a gale.

Hubert watched Annette nearly get blown off her feet before Dimitri grabbed her and dragged her to safety, the sight of her bright red hair making him scowl and turn away.

He had planned to slip away and spend lunchtime in the library, but was dragged to the Dining Hall by the combined forces of Edelgard and Dorothea instead.

“You already skipped breakfast, Hubie,” the latter trilled disapprovingly. “How can you expect to look after Edie if you’re starving to death?”

It wasn’t worth the effort to try to fight them and so Hubert let himself be taken. When they got there and the Black Eagles sat at their usual table, he couldn’t help noticing Ferdinand was still missing. Was he really still sulking? Or was Edelgard right and his injuries were bothering him too much to get up?

The latter didn’t seem likely, not when Ferdinand had looked to be in the peak of health when he’d chased Hubert down the night before.

Hubert scowled and hunched over his meal, angrily quashing the concern that tried to twist his belly. At least no one tried to talk to him, his classmates seeming to sense conversation was the last thing Hubert desired just then. They let him eat in peace, though inside he felt anything but peaceful. Wretched von Aegir. He just couldn’t seem to get the fool off his mind.

Thankfully a distraction came in the form of Lorenz, who approached their table with a look of perturbed concern. Hubert stifled a bitter snort; he’d truly fallen a long way from grace if he was actually happy to see _Lorenz_ now. Of course Fer - von Aegir would choose a best friend as equally irksome as he was.

“Pardon me,” Lorenz began as the Eagles all looked at him. “But have any of you seen Ferdinand? We were supposed to take tea, but he has failed to appear.”

“No, we haven’t,” Edelgard said, brow furrowing.

“He was missing from morning classes too,” Dorothea put in. “We think he might still be hurting from yesterday’s battle. He did come out of it with a broken arm.”

“It is most unlike him,” Lorenz matched Edelgard’s frown. “To simply fail to turn up without saying anything? I must confess, I am worried.”

“Didja check his room?” Caspar asked around a huge mouthful of fish sandwich, causing Lorenz’s nose to wrinkle with distaste as he sprayed crumbs everywhere. “Maybe - mm - maybe he’s sick?”

“Of course I did, but there was no answer.”

“Ferdinand is being a heavy sleeper,” Petra said. “Perhaps he was simply not hearing you?”

“I doubt it,” Lorenz said, shaking his head so his ridiculous bangs swayed. “I knocked rather loudly and called his name. Even Ferdinand wouldn’t be able to sleep through _that_.”

“M-maybe he went to see Professor Manuela? He c-could be in the infirmary if he was s-still in pain,” Bernadetta suggested, squeaking and hiding her face when they all turned to her. “ _Eek!_ I’m sorry! That’s probably not it at all! Stupid Bernie! No one listen to me, I d-didn’t say anything!”

“It’s fine, Bernadetta, that’s actually a good theory,” Lorenz said with what Hubert imagined he thought was a dashing, debonair smile. Bernadetta looked ready to faint or bolt under the table. “I shall go and check. Forgive me for disturbing your meal, my friends.”

“It’s okay,” Linhardt yawned, head resting on Caspar’s shoulder. “Your presence is always disturbing. We’re used to it.”

Lorenz gave him an ugly look and swept away with an offended “hmph.” Not at all like Ferdinand would have done. Somehow he’d have found a way to twist that remark into a compliment if Linhardt had directed it at-

Hubert slammed his fist on the table, making his classmates jump and Bernadetta shriek and topple backwards off her seat.

He felt a deep red flush crawl up his face as they all stared at him wide eyed, even Linhardt losing his usual sleepy countenance from the shock. There was a long silence.

His lady was the one to break it.

“Hubert-“

“My apologies,” Hubert said, standing abruptly and making Bernadetta squeak and dive back down below the edge of the table. “I must go. I...remembered something I need to do.”

“But you’ve barely touched your food!” Caspar objected. “Wait, can I have it then?”

“No you can’t, he’ll eat it when he gets back,” Dorothea scolded. “Hubie, is this about Ferdie? If you’re that worried about him, we can help you look-“

“It’s not about that idiot,” Hubert cut her off with a snarl that made Dorothea’s eyebrows disappear beneath her bangs. “I couldn't care less what that fool of an Aegir does! He is nothing to me!”

“Woah, woah! Harsh, man! Where’d _that_ come from?” Caspar exclaimed. “I thought you and Ferdie were getting along these days?”

“As usual, you thought wrong,” Hubert hissed. “I’m going. Eat my share if you want, I won’t be back.”

Then he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, seven pairs of eyes burning into his back.

Headed for his room, he didn’t get far before someone grabbed him.

“Hubert!”

Hubert regarded his lady stiffly. She stood her ground and stared him down, hand remaining gripped firmly around Hubert’s arm.

“Yes, my lady?” He said as casually as he could.

Edelgard wasn’t fooled for an instant.

“Hubert,” she said, glaring. “What exactly is going on with you? If it’s about what happened with Ferdinand-“

“I _assure_ you, my lady, von Aegir will not be a problem for you again-“

“Seems like you’re the one who has the problem,” she retorted. “Hubert, no matter what you believe, you did not let me down yesterday.”

“My lady-“

“Let me finish!” Edelgard ordered, causing Hubert’s jaw to clamp shut. “Hubert, you behaved as any good soldier would. I was holding my own while Ferdinand was in mortal danger. Of course you made the right choice to help him rather than me, otherwise he’d most likely be dead now.”

“Perhaps…” Hubert replied through clenched teeth. “Perhaps that’s what should have happened.”

Edelgard narrowed her eyes at him until they were nothing but pale slits.

“You don’t mean that,” she said.

“I do.”

“No you don’t. If you really cared so little for him, you wouldn’t be so upset as you are now.”

“I am not upset.”

“Liar.”

Hubert tried to look away, but she dug her fingers into his arm.

“Hubert-“ he shut his eyes, wishing he could cover his ears and smother her words. “-I never wanted to be the sole presence in your life. Our relationship is important, but if you ever wanted to be with someone-“

“I do not,” Hubert wrenched himself free and turned away, hands balled into fists and knuckles white beneath his gloves. “Forgive me, my lady, but you are mistaken. Like I said, Ferdinand von Aegir is nothing but a worthless fool and I feel nothing for him but contempt.”

He heard Edelgard sigh with irritation, but was spared further argument when they were both distracted by the sound of their names being called along with rapidly approaching footsteps.

“Hubert! Lady Edelgard!” Cyril exclaimed as he jogged over. “Wait, please! I need to talk to you!”

“What is it, Cyril?” Edelgard asked as he skidded to a stop in front of them. By the way he was panting, it seemed he’d been running for a while.

“Have - sorry-“ Cyril gasped, clutching the stitch in his side as he tried to catch his breath. “Have either of you seen Ferdinand lately?”

Hubert twitched. Ferdinand _again?_ Was he doomed to be haunted by von Aegir for the rest of his natural life?! If Hubert believed in the Goddess, he’d wonder if this was some kind of divine punishment.

Edelgard stepped in to answer while he was having his own personal crisis.

“No, we haven’t. He didn’t come to class this morning and no one seems to know where he’s got to. Why? Do you know something, Cyril?” She asked, frown returning.

“Well, I-I don’t know,” Cyril fidgeted and tugged his sash, obviously troubled. “I’m just kinda worried is all. He went out for a ride last night and this morning I noticed Buttercup’s stall was still empty-“

“He went out for a ride?” Hubert blurted out, making Cyril jump. “In _this?_ ”

All three of their gazes flashed back outside for a moment. The rain was still pouring down in torrents and the wind howled like a demonic beast. A few seconds uncovered would be all it took for someone to be soaked to the bone out there.

Had Ferdinand been out all night in that?

The thought made Hubert’s heart bang in his chest and his stomach flip with nausea, until he furiously shoved the feelings down again. Why should he care? It was not his concern!

“Are you sure?” Edelgard demanded. 

“Yes! I saw him go. He looked real upset about something, I-I think he’d even been crying? I guess he wanted to ride until he felt better,” Cyril gabbled. “I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen!”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone else?” Hubert surprised himself by hissing in a voice that actually had the normally bold Cyril cowering. “Why did you wait till now to do anything? Are you stupid?”

“N-no,” Cyril said, unable to meet Hubert’s furious gaze. “It was nearly curfew and I just...I didn’t want to get him in trouble. He looked so miserable already, I’m sorry…”

“I see,” Edelgard’s lips thinned as she composed herself. “Thank you, Cyril. We will take it from here.”

Once the young man had thanked them and fled, Edelgard rounded on Hubert with a glare that would shrivel lesser men.

“I know this is something to do with you, Hubert,” she said. “Do you have any idea where he might be? Or why he left to begin with?”

Hubert opened his mouth, hesitated, then looked away.

“We argued, my lady,” he said. “I’ll admit to that, but I have no idea where he could have gone.”

“I assume your argument was about what happened during yesterday’s battle?”

Hubert kept his composure with difficulty and didn’t answer.

“Hubert-“

“Forgive me, Lady Edelgard, but is now the time?” Hubert interrupted, looking at her again. “Shouldn’t we be trying to find him?”

She held his gaze for a moment and then made a highly frustrated sound and tossed her head. 

“ _Fine._ First we find him, then we can all discuss your disagreement together.”

“There’s no need-“

“I say there is,” she overrode him simply. “Come now, first let’s make sure he’s definitely not somewhere in the monastery. I’d hate to send out a search party in this weather and then find out Ferdinand was here all along.”

“As you wish.”

***

They mustered the rest of the Black Eagles and together they combed the monastery for any sign of Ferdinand, but none appeared. Their errant cavalier seemed to have simply vanished into thin air. Lorenz joined them and reported Ferdinand wasn’t in the infirmary, and the Abysskeeper told them in his usual short way that he hadn’t come through their domain either. Hubert personally checked the Training Yard, the Knights’ Hall, every part of the stables, and even Ferdinand’s room by way of his lock picking skills, but found no trace of him.

They met up again after an hour and Edelgard was forced to admit defeat and report Ferdinand missing. She and Hubert left the rest of the searchers and hurried to find a member of the faculty.

It happened that the first teacher they ran into was their own Professor Byleth, who was helping her brother carry a large basket of vegetables from the greenhouse to the kitchens.

The twins turned their identical blue eyes on Edelgard and Hubert as they approached.

“Edelgard, Hubert,” their teacher greeted. “Is something the matter? You looked worried.”

“Professor,” Edelgard said, tone calm despite her concern. “Ferdinand went out riding last night and no one has seen him since. We’ve looked everywhere, but there’s no trace of him in the monastery.”

“His horse is gone too,” Hubert muttered.

“Buttercup?” The male Byleth asked and Hubert struggled not to roll his eyes. Trust the soft-hearted fool to remember something like that.

“I see,” the female Byleth frowned just a touch, something that would have been impossible for either twin a few months ago before they started to unlock their emotions. “Right, okay. We’ll go out with the knights and look for him. Do either of you have any idea where he might have gone? Hubert?”

Hubert felt a familiar ugly red flush rise on his cheeks as they all stared at him. He glared and shook his head mulishly. Why should _he_ have more idea than anyone else? What was he, Ferdinand’s Flames damned _keeper?_

“Okay then,” their Professor said after a few seconds of awkward silence. She grabbed her brother’s basket and thrust both of them at her students. “We’ll get going and sort this out. You two get those to the cook or she’ll have our heads on a pike.”

“And don’t worry,” her brother said much more gently as Hubert fumbled and struggled not to spill tomatoes all over the floor. “We’ll find him, everything will be fine.”

“By, come on!” His twin, who was already a hundred yards away, called back to him. “Daylight’s wasting!”

“We’ll tell you as soon as we find him,” Byleth assured them, then hurried after his sister.

Hubert and Edelgard watched them go, the latter speaking again after a few moments.

“If they take wyverns, they should be able to find him soon. They cover the most ground, I just hope they can fly in this storm.”

Hubert said nothing, busying himself rearranging his basket when Edelgard looked at him.

“Now will you tell me what happened, Hubert?”

“What else is there to tell?” He said as they hurried up the steps to the dining hall, heads bowed against the lashing rain. “We argued and apparently he decided to run off like a spoiled child. That’s all I know.”

“What exactly did you say to him?”

“That is between us, my lady,” Hubert said tightly once they were back under shelter, water dripping into his eyes from his collapsed bangs. “It has no bearing on our mission.”

“I hardly think-“

Fortunately for Hubert, he was spared any more by the arrival of the rest of the Black Eagles, plus Lorenz, who had waited for them in the Dining Hall. Their flurry of questions were enough to distract his lady from their conversation, if only for a few moments.

It was all the opportunity he needed to slip away unnoticed.

***

A few hours later found Hubert sat alone in his room again, listening to the evening bells chime. It would be dark soon and there’d been no news of Ferdinand all day, despite a search party setting out on pegasus and wyvernback. He looked at his window, watching the raindrops bounce harshly against the glass. The gale showed no signs of easing even now. There was no fire lit in his room and it was freezing; winter was truly on the way.

Hubert bowed his head and clenched his fists together in his lap. His room had grown almost too dim to see, but he did not light a candle.

If von Aegir wanted to run off and get himself killed, it was no concern of Hubert’s. Their whatever-they’d-had was over and done with and Hubert couldn’t care less what happened to Ferdinand now.

Let the fool break his neck when his horse stumbled in the mud, Hubert didn’t care.

Let him fall into a swollen river and drown, it was all the same to Hubert.

Let him freeze to death-

He saw Ferdinand’s stricken face in his mind’s eye, saw the unshed tears glitter and threaten to spill as Hubert mercilessly ripped him apart with his words.

He thought about the tea Ferdinand had brought especially for him. Bitter, because Ferdinand knew how he hated sweet things.

Hubert closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands, shaking as the emotions in him warred till he felt like he was being pulled apart at the seams.

He hated von Aegir!

He was a danger to everything he and his lady had worked for!

Von Aegir was nothing but a fool! A weak, soft-hearted fool!

Hubert didn’t care if he ever came back. He didn’t! He _didn’t!_

_“Here, Hubert! To warm you up.”_

Hubert dug his nails into his head until the pain became intense. The sound of the rain had become a roar, each individual drop seeming to thud deep inside his skull.

_Ferdinand…_

What if he didn’t come back?

Hubert didn’t care.

He didn’t...

Lightning flashed and Hubert stood up so quickly his chair fell backwards with a clatter. He paid it no mind as he grabbed his thickest winter cloak and ran out of the door. He knew what he had to do.

After the swiftest detour to check there was no news of Ferdinand (what the Gatekeeper didn’t know wasn’t worth knowing) Hubert reached his destination:

The Eyrie where Garreg Mach’s wyverns were kept.

A familiar sense of fear and nausea swept over Hubert as he approached the stone tower and heard the beasts call to each other from inside, but he stamped it down and strode inside before he had time to think about it. He couldn’t afford to let his phobia get the best of him, not now, not with so much at stake.

Ten minutes later the wyvern keeper was “indisposed” and hidden in a storage closet (she’d be fine, he’d only used a weak dose) and Hubert’s chosen mount was saddled and ready. It looked at him expectantly, yellow eyes blinking slowly so the third eyelid showed. All those times he’d been given Sky Patrol had proved useful at last. He knew how to fly, even if he’d rather do literally anything else.

Hubert gritted his teeth, took a few deep breaths, and forced himself to clamber up onto the wyvern’s back. He gripped with his thighs and held onto the reins so tightly that the creature huffed with annoyance and clacked its jaws. Hubert ignored it and dug in his heels, trying not to vomit or pass out when the wyvern unfurled its huge, leathery wings and pushed off the ground, circling higher and higher towards the opening at the top of the Eyrie.

The icy rain and wind made them both gasp as they emerged and Hubert squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, dry-retching as the wyvern fought for balance against the buffeting gusts. He opened them a sliver when the creature steadied and urged it on, over the monastery buildings, passed the wall and out into the gale.

_I’m coming, Ferdinand,_ Hubert thought, shaking in every limb as he clung to the wyvern for dear life, heart in his mouth and stomach in his boots. _Just hold on a little longer because if you don’t survive, I swear I’ll kill you for this!_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please kudos or comment if you liked it. ;v;


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